How Can I Pray for You?

Louisa Ikena reflects, in light of specific Scripture verses, on sincerely asking God for what we really want and need in prayer requests for one another. 

How can I pray for you?

What a profoundly thoughtful and loving question! Sure, I can pray for intentions that I know of in the lives of my friends and family. But when is the last time I asked this question with a truly curious and open heart? Our Lord, as always, is the ultimate example for us all. When He encounters a blind man, instead of assuming he wants to be cured of his blindness, Christ asks the open-ended question, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).

Jesus asks the same of us today and every day. 

I recently had the experience of feeling deeply touched by a friend asking me, “How can I pray for you?” I believe it is one of the most loving questions we can ask each other. To me, it implies, “I’m already praying for you, so let’s get specific.”

Our Lord invites us:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) 

This is not nonsense or fallen humanity 

I find it is one of the most difficult questions to honestly answer. All kinds of nonsense goes through my mind at first. I do not want to be a bother or a burden. I can ask myself: Is there a “right” answer to this? Is there an answer this friend is wanting to hear?

But, as previously stated, this is nonsense. 

Then there is a layer of humanity I feel that is in denial of difficult truths. I would like to ask for comfort and for my will regarding my life. But God is infinitely better at ruling the universe and my life than I am. So I could always technically answer, “Please pray for God’s will to be done in my life today.” 

Going deeper 

Yet as I ask this profoundly thoughtful and loving question of a friend, I would like to hear an answer with some depth. What do you really want and/or need for today? Let us mutually share some personally meaningful prayer requests. 

And if I have a deep, heartfelt desire for good things for my friend in their life, how much more does God desire good things for us? When King Solomon spoke with God about wanting wisdom and knowledge, God was pleased and said,

“Because this has been your wish—you did not ask for riches, treasures, and glory, or the life of those who hate you, or even for a long life for yourself, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge in order to rule my people over whom I have made you king—wisdom and knowledge are given you. I will also give you riches, treasures, and glory, such as kings before you never had, nor will those who come after you.” (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)

What I glean from this Scripture passage is that God longs to shower us with blessings. God cannot be outdone in generosity. 

I therefore ask myself: What do I really need? As I am becoming, by God’s grace, the woman God is creating me to be – what do I really want?

Similar to the layers of goodness God showered on King Solomon, I can feel free to ask for things physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  

One blessing beyond compare that leaps to mind is the Eucharist. The word Eucharist means "thanksgiving." In the Eucharist, we receive the Body of Christ and are called to deeper and deeper conversion and relationship with our Lord. Only when I am truly grounded in thankfulness for God’s many, many blessings, am I ready to sincerely answer that wonderful question: How can I pray for you? 

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Copyright 2024 Louisa Ann Irene Ikena
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